Chapter 41: Everyone Has a Budget in Mind

A crisp female voice came from behind: “Hey, little guy; what a coincidence?”

I turned around to see Tiantian Pi, looking more and more beautiful, indistinguishable from a woman; wearing a short skirt and stockings, high heels on her feet, not a trace of the man she once was.

Since we met again, and according to Meili Jiang’s words, the more money the better, I seized the opportunity to talk to her. Unexpectedly, without even a moment’s hesitation, she pulled two hundred yuan from her wallet and handed it to me, saying, “This is all I have, and it’s actually support from someone else!”

Who cares who supports her, as long as there’s money! At least a “thank you” was due.

Tiantian Pi made no demands, watched me board the bus, and disappear from sight. For some reason, I didn’t dislike her as much anymore.

Getting off near the hospital, I recognized this road from when I came by electric bike, not unfamiliar. I asked around and, without much trouble, arrived at the door of the operating room.

An old man and woman sat on a bench, but no sign of the lady of the house...

He left room for me to speak: “Grandpa, classmate Meili Jiang is having a birthday. I’m supposed to bring her clothes and pants, but the money isn’t enough!”

The old man didn’t say a word, flipped open a jacket to reveal a men’s waist pouch, pulled out money, counted out three hundred yuan, and handed it to me, saying, “Little guy, your father got hurt because of you. I can’t say much. From now on, you have to get along well with him! If I didn’t have these savings, your father’s nose would never have been fixed, and all his teeth knocked out, tongue swollen—that’s why he talks like that.”

Better to say nothing than to hear that! The lady of the house was truly no match for the scar-faced man...

I kept these thoughts to myself and took the chance to learn a little about the lady’s situation before heading downstairs.

The old man told me to study hard and aim for college, with even higher expectations...

I could only mumble vaguely in response...

This wasn’t my business; he told me to go back and do my homework...

Honestly, I didn’t want to see Zhenqing Niu at all; he was neither my father nor the biological father of the little guy...

With the money in hand, I was delighted, stashing it into my school uniform pocket; waved goodbye to grandpa and retraced my steps home; counting the total, five hundred yuan, more than enough for any birthday.

There was no homework today; lying on my bed playing on my phone, I was most curious about everything related to “lala” (lesbian), searching online...

The iron gate clanged.

I didn’t want to get up; the webpage wouldn’t load for a long time, frustrating me, so I shouted loudly, “Who is it?”

The knocking continued; I couldn’t resist and went to open the door, revealing Meili Jiang and Minini.

I wanted to ask why they didn’t answer, but seeing more than one person was surprising. I could only force a smile and say, “Class monitor too?”

Minini smiled brightly like a blooming flower and casually said, “It’s Meili’s birthday today, could we not come?”

Seeing them made me happy, so I invited them inside, locked the door tight, and took them to my small room.

However, since it was Minini’s first visit, she insisted on seeing the entire house; Meili Jiang and I accompanied her.

After a round of looking around, she returned to the room and said, “Your home isn’t decorated? The house is small. Look at mine—165 square meters, fully renovated and very beautiful!”

I could only say, “Who’s got money like your family? My family’s poor; Meili Jiang is still willing to marry me!”

Minini had her own thoughts: “I’m not involved in lala stuff; as class monitor, I have to manage the whole class and worry a lot. We’re still young; it’s not the right time for romance!”

I had no opinion on that; after all, he’s a man in his forties with no job—who would marry him?

Yet Meili Jiang wouldn’t listen, glaring at Minini and snorting, “He’s a decent person, but you say the wrong things! Is it wrong to like someone nearby? For life, I’ve decided on the little guy! I’d marry him no matter what, male or female!”

Minini, as the class monitor, had a more comprehensive view; offending Meili Jiang meant offending me, and then no one would protect her. She could only say, “It’s your birthday today, you like whoever you want; no one can stop you!”

Suddenly, Meili Jiang pulled out some feminine items and waved them in front of me...

Minini was shocked, unable to hold back exclaiming, “How old are you?”

Meili Jiang huffed loudly, “Don’t pretend! Haven’t you started your period? How old are you?”

Everyone knows their own situation; Minini was no exception, having started puberty at eleven, nearly five years ago. Though she hadn’t turned into an old woman, she often had related dreams.

Originally a girl, one can’t avoid pretending in front of others; sometimes the face flushes, all normal...

Meili Jiang was like a ripe fruit about to drop; her body was different, appearing like a grown woman in every way...

I first declared, “No playing with that stuff from now on; studying is important! Mom and Dad are watching closely. Wait until after high school!”

Actually, I was already a grown man inside, but now things had turned out like this—it was truly baffling. Since it was done, I had no choice but to accept it.

Meili Jiang was somewhat disappointed; she put away the secret items; she wasn’t wearing her uniform, and her skirt had no pockets. Where did she hide that stuff? She didn’t tell us; she had her own ways.

Minini was unwilling to listen and loudly insisted on going to buy birthday gifts. This reminded Meili Jiang to ask how much money I had.

That number had to be kept secret; otherwise, she’d spend it all.

“Only a hundred yuan.”

“Ah?” Meili Jiang was shocked. “Didn’t I tell you to get more? It’s not enough!”

I could only say, “Didn’t you see? My mom paid the fine for kicking the tree bark and has been grumbling about it. Saving the hundred yuan is just enough.”

“At that time, I didn’t think so much; there were unplanned expenses.” After a bit more arguing, night fell before we went out.

All three of us had phones; the oldest was Minini, who checked the time—6:32 p.m.

Meili Jiang insisted on eating first, considering the money issue. We went to a snack shop, each had a bowl of noodles, spending thirty yuan. Then to a cake shop, spent forty-five yuan on a cheap birthday cake. Counting the money, only twenty-five yuan remained. There was still clothes to buy; she whispered in my ear, “This isn’t enough; you have to find a way!”

I guessed right—there was no time to dash out and get more, so I made up a story: “Let me call and see if I can get some more money.” I deliberately turned away so they couldn’t see, then came back with a hundred yuan and handed it to Meili Jiang, saying, “What a coincidence! I didn’t even make the call; I met someone I know and borrowed it!”

Meili Jiang took the money and muttered, “What can a hundred yuan do? Not even enough for a skirt, and I still need to buy feminine products!”

That put me in a tough spot; it was her birthday, yet I couldn’t meet her needs, which was frustrating.

Minini spoke reasonably: “You have to shop according to your budget. If money’s not enough, buy less or cheaper things.”

We went through more than ten shops that night; clothes were expensive. Some short skirts were over two hundred yuan and unsuitable for Meili Jiang to wear...

Shopping was exhausting; after visiting more than ten stores, we finally found a black short skirt for ninety-nine yuan at one shop. After trying it on a few times, Meili Jiang was very happy. She folded it neatly and asked me to hold it.

Counting the money, I had twenty-six yuan left; Meili Jiang dared not buy anything else. At the bus stop, we waited a long time. Each of them held one of my hands; one linked her arm with my right. People passing by might have thought the three of us were all lesbians.

“Wow, look! Meili, the little guy has a big string of beads on his hand, the green is so pretty!”

“How come I didn’t notice?” Meili Jiang insisted on taking my left hand, looking closely and asking, “What kind of beads are these?”

Of course, I couldn’t tell the truth: “I don’t know either.”

“Where did they come from?”

“My mom gave them to me. Do you like them?”

“Very pretty; I want them!”

“No, no! What would my mom think if I said yes?”